1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pan and tilt operation device, a camera system, a pan and a tilt operation program, and a pan and tilt operation method, and particularly, to a technology for remotely operating a camera comprising a pan and tilt mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a pan and tilt camera system that remotely operates a pan and tilt camera using a pan and tilt device is known (JP2000-209575A).
The pan and tilt camera system described in JP2000-209575A includes a pan and tilt camera including a camera unit that outputs a video signal and a pan and tilt mechanism that changes an imaging direction of a camera according to an input direction control signal, and a pan and tilt operation device including direction operation means for designating a movement direction of the pan and tilt camera and a control unit that controls a direction control signal according to an operation of the direction operation means, and comprises discrimination means for detecting a top and bottom of an installation posture of the pan and tilt camera and discriminating whether the top and bottom is the same as a predetermined top and bottom posture. The control unit maintains up, down, left, and right movement directions of the direction control signal to be up, down, left, and right directions as they are or inverts up and down directions and left and right directions according to a result of the discrimination of the discrimination means and outputs the resultant direction control signal to the pan and tilt mechanism.
Thus, the up, down, left, and right movement direction of the pan and tilt camera designated by the direction operation means is caused to match up, down, left, and right movement directions of the actually moving pan and tilt camera regardless of the installation posture of the top and bottom of the pan and tilt camera to achieve improved operability.
Further, JP2006-145761A describes a camera that detects a posture of a camera body and changes assignment of an up key, a down key, a left key, and a right key of a cross key provided on a rear surface of the camera body according to the detected posture of the camera body when the camera performs horizontal imaging or vertical imaging that is performed while holding the camera body in a normal direction or in a direction substantially perpendicular to the normal direction. Specifically, the left and right keys are assigned as zoom keys at the time of horizontal imaging, and the up and down keys are assigned as the zoom keys at the time of vertical imaging.